Staff Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) Engineer - Tactical Reconnaissance & Strike

Anduril

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Costa Mesa, California, United States First seen 1 day, 17 hours ago Last seen 4 hours, 24 minutes ago Greenhouse

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Job Description

AI Summary

• Design and implement guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) software for autonomous drone systems, including attitude control, waypoint guidance, and operation in GPS/communication-denied environments • Integrate computer vision technology with GNC systems at a staff-level position, working on early-stage product development with significant impact on company direction • Own critical deliverables with aggressive timelines across Anduril's autonomous drone portfolio (Ghost, Anvil, Bolt, Altius), from concept through operational capability • Required expertise in GNC algorithms, control systems, and autonomous flight dynamics; experience with computer vision and sensor fusion is highly valued • On-site role in Costa Mesa, CA with relocation benefits provided; fast-growing defense tech company offering ownership opportunities and professional growth in a collaborative environment

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century’s most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril’s family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.

ABOUT THE TEAM

Anduril’s Tactical Recon & Strike (TRS) is a division with two missions: 1) build highly capable autonomous drones, and 2) build solid rocket motors at scale. We transform products like Ghost, Anvil, Bolt, and Altius from early concepts into fully operational capabilities by partnering closely with specialist engineering, operations, and production teams. Through our Anduril Rocket Motor Systems (RMS) team, we design and manufacture solid rocket motors using advanced materials, proprietary formulations, and high-volume production methods—delivering safe, reliable propulsion systems that support a wide range of mission requirements. TRS hires software engineers & hardware engineers, who are excited to build across a diverse and powerful portfolio—from autonomous aerial systems to high-performance solid rocket motors. Our teams contribute to highly capable autonomous robotics systems and propulsion products that operate reliably in the most demanding mission environment.

The guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) team within TRS performs implementation, analysis, test, and validation for GNC software solutions supporting our autonomous drone fleet. Applications include attitude and position control, waypoint and terminal guidance engagements, and navigating contested environments including communication and GPS denied environments.

ABOUT THE JOB

This role will focus on delivering on guidance related projects and involve usage and direct implementation Guidance Navigation and Control work (GNC) and state-of-the-art Computer Vision (CV) at a Staff Levle. You will be involved at earliest stage product development, and help shape the capabilities set of the platform to achieve consistent mission success on a hyper-scalable platform developed on an aggressive timeline.

We are a fast-growing company at the early stages of our growth, and you will be expected to own important deliverables with tight deadlines during your time on the team, which will have a significant impact on the company’s trajectory. Anduril fosters a diverse, collaborative, culture with plenty of opportunities for ownership and professional growth.

This position will be on-site at our Costa Mesa, CA location. (relocation benefits provided.)

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Develop guidance algorithms (terminal and midcourse) and state estimators for group 1-3 UAV platforms
Work closely with the flight software and computer vision team to define requirements, develop GNC software and validate functionality in simulation on aggressive timelines
Review test data captured from the flight control system, subsystems, and other test instrumentation to verify vehicle performance, evaluate GNC algorithm/controller behavior, or debug incidents during testing or from fielded assets
Develop models required to support functional evaluation of GNC software

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor’s degree in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field with a focus on dynamic systems and control
10+ years professional experience in a GNC role, preferably owning the design and architecture on missile or weapons systems
Ability to own the development of tactical guidance algorithms and target state estimation while mentoring more junior level employees
Expert level knowledge of state estimation and filtering - Kalman filtering, sensor fusion, complementary filters, etc.
Experience in designing and developing modeling and simulation of linear and nonlinear dynamic systems and model linearization from scratch
Experience coding in Matlab and Simulink
C/C++ Proficiency
Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Master’s Degree or PhD in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field with a focus on dynamic systems and control
15+ years professional experience in a GNC role, preferably focusing on missile or weapons systems
Experience with flight test and debugging GNC on UAV platforms
Experience with GNC design and analysis for fixed wing, rotary wing aircraft and/or tactical missile systems
Experience with seeker integration
Experience in one or more of the following: VIO, TERCOM, gimbal mount models, detection and tracking, LWIR/EO sensors, RADAR, target motion models
Experience with Simulink Embedded Coder

US Salary Range

$220,000—$292,000 USD

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Anduril's total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including:

Benefits

At Anduril, we invest in our people. Our comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures you’re supported in health, recovery, and whatever comes next. For more information, Explore Our Benefits.

Protecting Yourself from Recruitment Scams

Anduril is committed to maintaining the integrity of our Talent acquisition process and the security of our candidates. We've observed a rise in sophisticated phishing and fraudulent schemes where individuals impersonate Anduril representatives, luring job seekers with false interviews or job offers. These scammers often attempt to extract payment or sensitive personal information.

To ensure your safety and help you navigate your job search with confidence, please keep the following critical points in mind:

No Financial Requests: Anduril will never solicit payment or demand personal financial details (such as banking information, credit card numbers, or social security numbers) at any stage of our hiring process. Our legitimate recruitment is entirely free for candidates.
Please always verify communications:
- Direct from Anduril: If you receive an email from one of our recruiters, it will only come from an @anduril.com address.
- Via Agency Partner: If contacted by a recruiting agency for an Anduril role, their email will clearly identify their agency. If you suspect any suspicious activity, please verify the agency's authenticity by reaching out to contact@anduril.com.
Exercise Caution with Unsolicited Outreach: If you receive any communication that appears suspicious, contains grammatical errors, or makes unusual requests, do not engage. Always confirm the sender's email domain is @anduril.com before providing any personal information or clicking on links.
What to Do If You Suspect Fraud: Should you encounter any questionable or fraudulent outreach claiming to be from Anduril, please report it immediately to contact@anduril.com. Your proactive caution is invaluable in protecting your personal information and upholding the security and trustworthiness of our recruitment efforts.

Data Privacy

To view Anduril's candidate data privacy policy, please visit https://anduril.com/applicant-privacy-notice/.

By submitting your application, you consent to Anduril Industries using a third-party service provider to conduct pre-employment risk, integrity, and due diligence screening and assessing potential risks as part of your application process. This third-party service provider provides risk-intelligence services that may include analysis of sanctions and watchlists, adverse media, public-record information, and other lawful open-source or commercial data sources. This third-party service provider does not act as a consumer reporting agency. Use of this provider helps to ensure compliance with applicable laws and protect technology, intellectual property, and organizational security.

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Job Information

Company:
Anduril
Location:
Costa Mesa, California, United States
Job Type:
Full-Time
Experience Level:
Executive
Source:
Greenhouse
Status:
Active

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